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Another one ups the price (Misono)

I almost bought a Misono swedish 210 gyuto last night from Korin (because they hadn't raised prices yet and the 210 at CKTG has that ugly flower engraving), but they gave me a ridiculous shipping quote to Hawaii. Instead, I was going to call their service dept this morning and ask if they'd ship via USPS, but when I double-checked their site today, *BLAMMO* instant 65% price increase. I knew Koki had raised prices, but I guess I haven't been paying enough attention.

I almost settled for getting the stupid flower one from CKTG, but then I remembered Korin also sells though Amazon... I got lucky - they hadn't changed their Amazon prices yet, so I was able to buy one at old price with decent shipping but it looks like that loophole has been closed. Now CKTG is the only source for cheap Misonos, but I doubt that'll last for long.

I'm excited because Misono has one of the narrowest and flattest profiles, somewhere between a regular gyuto and a thick suji. And I've always thought they make the best-feeling handle of any mass-produced yo-gyuto... but I'm a little worried about reactivity, since the first J-knife I ever bought was a Misono swedish 180 gyuto which put me off carbon for a while.

Some people say it's not that bad, and others say it smells like a tire fire (actually, I think I said that ) but I've begun to suspect reactivity can vary greatly between individual knives. For instance, IIRC Jon said the Konosuke HD is more reactive than Aritsugu A steel, but I've experienced the opposite. Anyone else have a carbon knife whose patina/reactivity defies common-forum-sense?

We'll see... if worse comes to worst, I'll hang onto it until CKTG raises prices, then sell it for a profit (Dave, we need a devil smiley)

In my own experience, my Misono Swedish 270 gyuto didn't produce any odor at all when cutting. There is always some very slight staining of the first cut of the first onion after sharpening, but that's about it. The blade itself isn't nearly as reactive as I anticipated based on other reviews, no rusting yet (except once, but that's a long and angry story involving the "other shift" and a disrespectful coworker using it when I wasn't at work).

Ain't shopping at Korin through Amazon fun? It feels like cheating, getting their products at standardized shipping rates instead of the ludicrous and apparently arbitrary cost through Korin direct.

whoa - that was crazy. i had just emailed them over the weekend and it sounded like they were gradually increasing the price ... but lo and behold, they're all up!!

so now i sit here with my Misono 240 suji (w/ dragon) ... it's still in the box, unused ... and i was thinking of returning it because what i really wanted was a 180-210 suji ... but now i just don't know what i want anymore!

In my own experience, my Misono Swedish 270 gyuto didn't produce any odor at all when cutting. There is always some very slight staining of the first cut of the first onion after sharpening, but that's about it...

That's weird because mine was very reactive... it could be different batches with a slightly different heat-treat or steel-composition, but Misono is a huge maker and I'd imagine their manufacturing process would be tightly controlled & standardized. Could there be a big difference between identical knives for some unknown metallurgical reason? Or maybe it has something to do with the climate? It was pretty humid where I was.

TDj: definitely don't sell it until all the prices rise

Yeah, the shipping thing is weird too, but I don't feel bad about it. It might be a business strategy, if they want to encourage people to go through Amazon because it saves them back-end costs. Who knows.

That's weird because mine was very reactive... it could be different batches with a slightly different heat-treat or steel-composition, but Misono is a huge maker and I'd imagine their manufacturing process would be tightly controlled & standardized. Could there be a big difference between identical knives for some unknown metallurgical reason? Or maybe it has something to do with the climate? It was pretty humid where I was.

TDj: definitely don't sell it until all the prices rise

Yeah, the shipping thing is weird too, but I don't feel bad about it. It might be a business strategy, if they want to encourage people to go through Amazon because it saves them back-end costs. Who knows.

I hope you have better shipping luck than I! Every purchase I've made at Korin, either direct or through Amazon, has taken at least 7 business days to show up. It's like they buy some sort of Super Economy Freight shipping through UPS, one step above "strapped to the back of a three legged mule" but slightly beneath "put on a truck and driven to the destination," and then have the audacity to charge $11 for the service.

Regarding the reactivity, it might be a climate thing as you said, though I'd also be willing to bet that their steel composition has changed over time. I'm not the only one who has purchased a Misono Swedish recently, and been baffled by it's relative passivity compared to the woeful reviews of those who came before.

Either way, it's a sweet knife. Glad you got one before the price hike!

i had the opposite experience with the misono sweedish 270mm suji. the dragon was cool but it was more reactive than i could have ever imagined. for my first carbon knife, this was probably a bad choice. i noticed discoloring on food and a very strong smell.

a good thing though was that it taught me how to take care of a knife really well because it punishes you very badly if you dont. i learned how to put a good patina on a knife and also learned how sharp carbon can really get. it was a great and terrible knife to own as a beginner. i dont regret it though

i don't know - i think UX10's are contentious around these parts. for most of us, the UX10 is good, but probably not great at its old price. now at the new price, it's viewed by most around here as a rip-off (?$300+?). maybe in the chef-ing world UX10's are more sought after such that nabbing a few at the pre-bump price and then letting them go after the bump is a good idea.

i look at UX-10 like nenox... not bad knives but way too expensive to be something i would ever consider purchasing. i get the "i saw it on iron chef so i should buy one because they are the greatest due to the fact someone famous uses them" vibe.